On this episode of lifestyles of the poor and infamous:
On the same day a judge accepted his plea of poverty and dropped his lawsuit against Garrett Ziegler, Hunter Biden was living it up in South Africa where he stayed in a $500-a-night beachfront villa in Cape Town described as an “ultra-luxurious designer home with spectacular 180 degrees unobstructed views of the sea.”
The former first son also had round-the-clock Secret Service protection as he avoided a deposition in the case that had been scheduled for this week in California, the New York Post reported.
California District Court Judge Herman Vera granted Hunter’s motion to dismiss the case Thursday after Biden claimed he was too broke to continue suing former Trump staffer Garrett Ziegler and his nonprofit Marco Polo.
Related: Poor Hunter, Part II: Judge rules he can drop case but can’t sue Ziegler again, March 14, 2025
"Ziegler’s lawyers alleged to the court last week that Hunter had fled to South Africa to potentially 'avoid his deposition in this case,' which was set for this week, after originally being planned for February, Miranda Devine wrote the The Post.
“He was in South Africa before the judge even decided the case,” Ziegler said Friday. “That means he is assuming his daddy’s appointee is gonna rubber stamp what he wants.”
Hunter and his South African-born wife Melissa Cohen were spotted walking around the high-end shopping district of Cape Town with their Secret Service detail in tow in photos provided to The Post by independent reporter Laura Loomer.
Related: Poor Hunter: As art career fails, Biden’s son files to drop lawsuit against Garrett Ziegler, March 6, 2025
Hunter Biden does not qualify for statutory Secret Service protection, which only applies to former presidents’ children aged under 16, per the Former Presidents Protection Act (codified in 18 USC, Section 3056). But Joe Biden issued an executive memorandum before he left the White House which indefinitely extended Secret Service protection for his son, according to Trump Administration sources.
Loomer cited local sources who claim that Hunter Biden was traveling with 18 Secret Service agents — three shifts of four agents plus six backup agents — who are staying at a nearby four-star hotel, collecting per-diem payments for meals and renting two cars.
"The cost to the taxpayer potentially would be a half-million dollars," Devin wrote.
Ziegler, meanwhile, said he will include the photos of Hunter Biden in South Africa in <a href="https://marcopolo501c3.substack.com/p/2025idesofmarch">his next court filing</a>. Ziegler is seeking $200,000 in legal costs incurred after Hunter Biden sued over him over Marco Polo’s online database of the notorious laptop from hell.
We implore @realDonaldTrump to revoke this miscreant's @SecretService detail immediately.
He & his lawyers (@WinstonLaw & @EricEarly_CA's firm, @EarlySullivan) lied to the federal court in Los Angeles. @HunterBiden already fled the USA before the judge in our case ruled.… https://t.co/pvuPrrHX7H pic.twitter.com/ibQo450jRx — Marco Polo (@MarcoPolo501c3) March 15, 2025
Update: President Trump posted the following at 6:09 p.m. EST on Truth Social:
Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer. There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous! He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has been strenuously questioned. Because of this, South Africa has been taken off our list of Countries receiving Economic and Financial Assistance. Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection. Likewise, Ashley Biden who has 13 agents will be taken off the list.
Timely: Defund Fake News
